Love at Last
by insanity loves company
Summary: TK and Kari are in college. What happens when TK gets into an accident and Kari has just realized her feelings for him? Takari. Rated PG-13 for language.


"Matt, what do you do if you're in love and you don't know if the girl you love loves you back

Well, this is my second fanfic to be posted... forgot a note for the last one... I DON'T OWN DIGIMON! AND I NEVER WILL! Ok? So don't sue. I have no money. This takes place when all the season 02 digidestined are about... uh, however old you are in university/college. Btw, Bryan is _my_ character. No take! Whenever there is an indent into a paragraph, it's a POV change. _Italics_ mean thoughts.

~~ilc (insanity loves company)

"Matt, what do you do if you're in love and you don't know if the girl you love loves you back?" TK asked his brother over the phone. "Well," Matt said. "You'd have to find out." "That doesn't help." TK sighed. "Well, who is it?" Matt asked. "Who is what?" "Who's the girl you're in love with?" Matt said, sounding exasperated. "You know… don't you?" TK said. He didn't really want to say who it was. "It's not Yolei…" "Nope." "It's not Sora…" "Nuh uh." "So that leaves Kari." TK was silent. "So. It's Kari. God TK, what took you so damn long?" Matt said. "Excuse me? I didn't think you'd want me to be in love with Tai's sister." TK said. "What in the hell are you talking about? Kari is perfect for you! And you're perfect for Kari! What more is there to say?" Matt exclaimed. "But I was so… elusive." TK said quietly. "You're not talking about the time you told her that you cared about her and then ran away? TK, you saved her life and anyway, that was like, ten years ago!" Matt was surprised that his brother still felt that way. "Thanks, Matt. I'll talk to her tomorrow." TK said. "Bye." Matt hung up the phone. He walked over to his balcony and opened the door. He looked across the way to Tai and Kari's apartment building. They were both visiting their parents from university. Well, at least Kari was. Tai had an apartment in Osaka with one of his college friends. _Hmm. I wonder if Kari feels the same way about TK…_

"Kari! Have you seen my baseball glove and my soccer ball?" Tai yelled from his old bedroom. "Maybe you should've taken them when you moved out! I haven't touched anything in your room for a year, at least!" Kari was sitting at the kitchen table with her mom and they were browsing through some magazines. "Some help you are!" Tai called back. _Hmm. I wonder how TK's doing… _Kari thought. "You know who I haven't seen in a while? TK." Mrs Kamiya said. Kari's head jerked up. _Think of the devil…_ she grinned. "Have you seen him around lately?" "Um, actually I haven't… maybe I should call him later." Kari said, looking back down at the magazine. "Found them!" Tai yelled. 

TK hung up the phone and sat down on his couch. He was in his new apartment near to the university he was attending. He had moved out about 6 months ago, living with Matt until he found a place to live on his own. "Yo, TK! What's the matter?" TK's roommate Bryan came and stood in front of him. "I'm just thinking." TK replied. "About what? No one should think that hard on a Saturday. Is it a school problem? A girl?" Bryan asked. "A girl… I mean, nothing." TK said quickly. "Is it that Kari chick? Ouch!" TK kicked Bryan in the shin. "Don't call her a 'chick'." TK stood up. "Chikushoume." TK muttered in Japanese. 

"Argh!" Kari searched through her backpack. "What are you looking for?" Cassie, Kari's roommate, asked. "My address book!" "Is it blue?" Cassie asked. "Yes." Kari said. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Then it's under your bed." "How'd it get there?" Kari asked. "I don't know. I was vacuuming and I saw it there. I didn't touch it because I thought that it might be your journal or something." Cassie poured herself a glass of water. "Thanks." Kari could always trust Cassie. She was very honest. "Aha!" She spotted her address book in a corner under her bed. "Takaishi…" Kari ran her finger down the "T" page. "There!" All the Digidestined shared their new phone numbers with each other. "Cassie! I'm going to use the phone!" Kari called towards the living room. "Okay!" Kari shut the door to her room and picked up the phone.

"TK! Phone!" Bryan called. TK sat up on his bed. _I wonder who that could be._ "Thanks. Hello?" TK said. "Hi TK! It's Kari!" _Oh my god…_ "Hi! I recognized your voice! How's life treating you?" "Pretty well… Et tu?" "Excuse me?" "I'm taking French. It means 'And you?'" "I'm fine. Other than I have absolutely nothing to do." "Why don't you come over?" TK was surprised by the invitation. He hadn't seen Kari in four months. "Sure!" he said. "You know where I live, right?" "Yep. I'll be over in half an hour, ok?" "Ok, Bye TK! A bientôt!" "What?" "It means 'see you soon'. Bye!" "Bye." TK set down the phone. "BOOYAH!" "TK? You ok?" Bryan asked. "Yep. I've got to get ready. Is there gas in the car?"

"Cassie, I'm having someone over, okay?" Kari said. "Oh, alright. Is it anyone I know?" "Um, I don't think so. Do you want to see a picture?" Kari asked. "Sure." Kari went over to the desk and opened a folder. "See? This guy." She pointed to TK in the photo. "Is he messy?" Cassie asked. Kari groaned. Cassie was a neat freak. That's why she had to tell Cassie of anyone was coming over. "No." "Hee. He's pretty hot!" Cassie grinned evilly. "Should I run?" she asked. "Oh yeah." Kari said. "Ahhh!" Cassie yelled in mock fright. "I'm going to kill you, in case you hadn't already guessed!" Kari said in a low, menacing voice. Cassie darted behind the couch. "Can't catch me!" she said. "Oh yes I can!" Kari ran after he fleeing friend.

"Where're you going? To that Kari chi--, I mean, Kari's place?" Bryan caught himself before his wording resulted in another kick in the shins. "Wouldn't you like to know." TK said as he pulled on his coat. "If you tell me, I'll give you these." Bryan said, holding up TK's car keys. TK looked in his pocket. "You jackass! OK. I'm going to Kari's place. Can I have my keys now?!?" TK was getting angry. "Fine. Here." Bryan tossed TK the keys. "Make sure you kiss her for me." he said. TK turned around and went to punch him, but Bryan had already locked himself in the bathroom.

"How long has it been since you've seen TK?" Cassie asked Kari. They were both sitting on the couch in the livingroom watching TV. "About four months." Kari answered. "Wow. That's pretty long to not see someone you love." Cassie said, closing her eyes. "What do you mean, 'someone you love'?" Kari asked, sitting up. "Well, the way you talk about the guy, someone would think that you're in love with him." Cassie explained. _Hmm. I wonder if she's right…_

TK climbed in his car and put on his seatbelt. _Ok, when you get there, act cool. Be nice, don't be a jerk. Give her a hug. No, maybe not. If she gives you a hug, give her one back. JUST START THE DAMN CAR! _TK snapped back into reality. "God TK, she's your best friend. You can act like yourself around her!" TK said to himself. He turned the key in the car and looked over his shoulder to back out of the parking spot. He drove out to the street and turned onto the highway. 

"I wonder what's taking him so long!" Kari said as she paced around the room. "Well, how long did he say he'd be?" Cassie asked. "Half an hour." Kari said meekly. "Kari. It's been fifteen minutes. He'll be here soon."

TK switched on the radio. "There was a car crash on the bridge twenty minutes ago, so traffic is heavy." "Damn news. Where's my cell?" TK searched the car as well as he could while using only one hand and without taking his eyes off the road. "Yes!" he found it and turned it on. "BATT LOW" said the readout. "Crap!" TK decided to take a chance. He punched in Kari's number as fast as he could. 

"Ring!" "I'll get it!" Kari called. "Hello?" "Hi Kari, it's TK. There was an accident on the bridge, so I might be a bit longer than I expected. OK?" Kari sighed. "Yep. Just be careful." "All right. Bye!" Kari hung up the phone. "What's the matter?" Cassie asked. "TK doesn't want to come." Kari said. "He told me there was an accident. I don't think that there is." "Why such little faith in him? Let's turn on the news." Cassie picked up the remote and flicked through the channels until she found the news. "See. There _was_ an accident. You're just being pessimistic." _I can't believe that my first thought was that TK didn't want to come! Cassie was right. I want to see him so badly that anything that happens, I turn it into something bad! I…I think I'm in love with him!_ "Cassie, you were right." Kari said. "Right about what?" Cassie asked. "Right about me being in love with TK."

"Argh!" TK mumbled as he saw the line-up of traffic over the bridge. "This'll take forever! It might even be faster to walk." He said. "I guess all I can do is wait…" He switched the radio to his favourite station. The song "California", by Wave was on. He hummed along with the beat for a while then switched the radio off. "What's taking so long?!?" TK yelled at no one. _Kari's waiting… what can I do? Isn't there some other way to get there? Wasn't there a side street?_ TK looked to his left. There was a street that lead across another bridge, but it would take longer. _What have I got to lose? This traffic will cost me an hour at least. That other way will only take me half an hour._ TK looked over his shoulder, checked for oncoming cars, than made a left turn to the other street. 

"WHAT'S TAKING HIM SO LONG?!?!?!" Kari yelled as she paced the house. "Why don't you call him?" Cassie said. She was getting tired of Kari's pacing. "If you don't stop soon, you'll wear a hole in the floor." "Good idea. He called from his cell, so the number should still be in the call display." Kari walked over to the phone and flicked through the call display. "T Kamiya, that's Tai, B Roberts, that's Cassie's parents, Private. That'll be TK." She picked up the phone and dialled the number from the display. 

Ring! "Huh? Oh, phone!" TK picked up his cell. "Hello?" "Hi TK, it's Kari. Is the traffic any better?" "Well, I actually am on a different route to your house. It's that back street that leads to the smaller bridge. I'll be there in a bit, OK?" "Ok. Take your time!" "Ok. Bye…ahhh!" SCREECH! Kari heard a screech over the phone. "TK? TK are you OK?" He wasn't answering. "TK?" She heard the phone hang up. "Cassie! I think TK's been in an accident!" 

TK opened his eyes. "Ohhh…" he moaned. He had collided with a garbage truck that had backed out of a hidden driveway too quickly. "Oh, shit." TK saw blood all over his arm and shirt. He tried to sit up but was too hurt. He blacked out.

"Come on!" Kari called. "Do you know where he is?" Cassie asked. "On a back road leading to the smaller bridge in Tokyo." Kari replied, getting more anxious by the second. "But the accident on the main bridge…" it could take forever to get to TK. "We'll call the ambulance in Tokyo to go to him." Cassie picked up the phone. "It's ringing… hello. I'm calling to report a possible car accident. Where? Well, were not exactly sure…My friend was talking to another friend on the phone, and he was on his cell. Then she heard a screech and the phone went dead. Ok. Bye." Cassie hung up. "They just got a call about an accident in a back alley. It might be TK." "Let's get going." 

"Hey! Kid!" TK heard. _Me? A kid? Maybe to someone older… what? Someone's there?_ "Help me…" TK managed to say. "Kid, are you OK?" "I…I don't know… blood… pain…" TK was getting disoriented from the loss of blood. "There's an ambulance on the way. Hang in there!" 

"Damn traffic!" Kari pounded her fist on the dashboard. "We can go around, but it'll take twenty minutes more." Cassie said. "Just get us there."

"Over here! The kid's trapped inside!" _Ambulance. Here. I can get out of here._ "Can you hear us? What's your name?" TK heard. "My name's TK… please, just get me out of here…" "We'll need the Jaws of Life. The car's crushed pretty badly. Let's hurry!" TK heard crunching. _I'm going to be late to Kari's… she's going to worry…_ "Ok, on three… one. Two. Three!" TK heard the top of the car being lifted. _Damn. Bryan's going to kill me._ "Are you awake?" "Yeah. I'm awake." TK said. "We're going to get you out of there. Hang on."

"We're close to the sirens. He's over there!" Cassie exclaimed. _Please god, let him be OK…_ "Holy shit." Cassie said. _Oh my lord… Cassie never swears…_ Then Kari saw the accident. "TK…" she whispered. "No onlookers." A police officer said. "But, my friend… he's in there!" "You mean TK?" he asked. "Yes! TK… is he OK?" Kari asked. "He's in pretty bad condition. Old car. No air bags. He hit his head on the windshield and he's being pulled out." "Can we see him?" "I'm sorry." Please!" Kari asked. She was unaware that she was crying. "OK. But park your car here." Cassie stopped the car and Kari jumped out. "Where…?" "Over here." The policeman directed her to the accident scene. "Oh… my …god…" Kari was speechless. She ran over. "Three!" She heard. TK was being placed on a stretcher. Cassie came up behind her. "This cannot be good." Kari raced over to TK. She looked at his battered body. "Is he ok?" Kari cried. "He's delirious. But otherwise he's fine in his mind, but his body is badly damaged." The doctor turned around. "Lacerations on the head and face, possible broken ribs and arm, possible concussion." 

TK opened his eyes. _Kari…_ "Kari? Kari is that you?" TK called out. "TK, I'm here." Kari said. TK held out his hand. He felt her take it. He heard her start to cry. "Don't cry. I'll be OK." "Do you want to come with him to the hospital?" "Yes! Cassie, can you meet us there?" Kari asked. "Yeah. See you there!" Cassie went back to move the car. "Let's go." They lifted TK's stretcher into the ambulance. Kari never let go of his hand.

Kari was sitting in the waiting room. A doctor came out and sat next to her. "Does he have any relatives?" he asked Kari. "Yes. Matt Ishida, Malcolm Ishida and Nancy Takaishi." "Would you like to call them?" "Yes. Thank you." Kari got up and went over to the payphone. She punched in Matt's number. "Hello?" Matt picked it up on the first ring. "Hi Matt. It's Kari." "Hi Kari… is something the matter?" "Yes. TK's been in a car accident. He's in the emergency room right now." "Oh my god… I'll be right there!" Click. She went through similar reactions as she called TK's mom and Dad. She was on autopilot, just going through the motions, not really feeling. A little while later she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Matt. "Is he OK?" "I don't know." Kari said, sitting down. Matt sat next to her. "I… I always thought that it would be me in the hospital because of a car accident…" Matt started to cry. Then Kari started to cry. "Kari?" Mr Ishida was there. "Is TK all right?" "We don't know." Matt and Kari said in unison. "You can see him now." The doctor came in and said. "I'll wait for your mother, Matt." Mr Ishida said. The doctor led them to a room with a battered and bruised TK in it. They had cleaned him up, but he still looked pretty bad. "TK?" Matt whispered. "Matt?" TK said quietly. "Is Kari with you? Mom and Dad?" "Can't you see?" Matt asked. "I don't want to open my eyes. They're too sore. And I don't want to look at what the frigging garbage truck did to me. Next time I have to dish out money or something because of a garbage strike, I'm telling them all to go to hell." TK said. Kari smiled slightly. TK was trying to keep their spirits up even though he was feeling really bad. "I, I'm going to wait for mom with dad, K, TK?" Matt said. "Yeah, sure." TK replied. Matt left the room. "He was crying, wasn't he?" TK asked Kari. "How did you know?" Kari asked, surprised. "Because he'd never let me see him cry. He'd never just leave to wait for mom. He sort of feels… distant towards my mom because of the divorce, even still. He's too upset to see me like… however I am." Kari sat down in the chair next to TK's bed. She took his hand. "Kari, are you crying?" TK asked her. "How can you tell?" Kari said, her voice cracking. "Your silence. And the fact that I've known you pretty much my whole freaking life." He said. "TK, you normally don't say stuff like 'frigging' and all. What's the matter?" Kari asked. "Because I've been in a car accident, you idiot!" TK snapped. Kari jerked her hand out of TK's. She was really hurt. "Oh my god, Kari, I'm so sorry… It's just really painful…" Kari didn't know if he was really sorry or just acting until he started to cry. "Oh…" Kari said sympathetically. She sat on the edge of his bed and took his hand again. "Kari, what happened to me? I mean, what's broken, fractured, dislocated, I don't care. Just what's wrong with me?" 

Kari and TK were both asleep. TK's parents had already been to see him, and they needed to speak to the doctor. "Shh." The doctor said. "See, his left arm and leg are broken, and he has two broken ribs. A minor concussion, but that was to be expected. Minor facial injuries, just scratches. He got pretty battered. He'll have some good scars." "Thank you, doctor. Anything we can do?" Ms Takaishi asked. "No, unfortunately all we can do is wait. Hmm. Are those two boyfriend and girlfriend?" the doctor asked. "No, why?" Matt asked. The doctor gestured towards the sleeping TK and Kari, who had their fingers interlaced. Matt gasped slightly. He had forgotten about TK's feelings for Kari. "Let's let them sleep. You should get some sleep, too. There are some free couches in the waiting room, or you can go home and have a nap. I'll tell your son where you went." 

TK woke up. He went to sit up, but then a sharp pain went through his chest. He looked at his unbroken arm, then to his hand. It was holding Kari's hand. He instantly felt more comfortable. _Maybe I should tell her that I'm in love with her. Maybe I'm leading her on…_ Kari waking up interrupted TK's thoughts. He pretended to be asleep. He wanted to see what she would do. She picked up her head and looked at TK. She saw that he was asleep and stood up and kissed his forehead. "Ai Shiteru, TK." She left the room, probably to use the bathroom or to get a drink. TK opened his eyes. His brain tried to process what her had just heard. _"Ai Shiteru, TK." _He heard in his thoughts over and over. TK decided to tell her, as soon as she came back into the room. He rehearsed what he was going to say in his mind. Kari came back in, sipping a cup of tea. "Oh! You're awake!" Kari said cheerfully. "Yes. Did you have a good sleep?" TK asked her. "Well, actually yes, as well as you can sleep while lying your head on a bed and sitting in a chair at the same time." Kari giggled. The sound was music for TK's ears. "Kari, I have something to tell you." TK sounded so serious that Kari wondered if anything was wrong. "Wha-what is it?" She asked, sitting down in the chair next to TK's bed. "Kari, I'm in love with you." "Y-you are?" Kari asked softly. "Yes. Ever since I met you, I knew that I had feelings for you, that I loved you more than a friend. You are a sight to soothe my aching eyes, the point of my existence." Kari melted. The boy she loved, the one she would give her life for, was professing his love to _her_. "TK…I… I'm in love with you, too." Kari said, looking at her hands. She suddenly felt very shy. "Are you really?" TK asked, sounding like a little kid. "Really and truly." Kari said with a smile. TK sat up and took Kari into his arms, not even feeling the pain from his broken ribs and arm. He then held her at arm's length, looking into her eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her. TK's doctor walked in holding a clipboard and pouring over notes. He looked up, saw TK and Kari kissing, and turned and left. On his way out, he saw Matt. "Give them some time." The doctor said, jerking his thumb towards TK's hospital room. Matt peered around the corner, saw what the doctor meant, smiled, and left.

TK and Kari broke away. "Kari, you're my dream come true." TK said, smiling broadly. "TK, you're my love at last." Kari replied, her smile as wide as TK's.

Many weeks later, TK was pretty much healed. His leg and ribs were better, but he still had his arm in a sling. As TK and Kari walked along the beach shoreline, hand in hand, they talked. They talked about the accident, what was going through their minds at the moment, and they talked about life in general. "So. How's Tai about the you-and-me-going-out thing?" TK asked. "He's pretty much over his little horror fantasy about us getting married and him being related to Matt." Kari laughed. "Funny, Matt went through the same thing, but he did it in the "privacy" of the balcony. I think everyone in Japan heard him. Even me!" TK said. Kari laughed and set her head on his shoulder. "You know what I heard?" Kari said. "What?" "That the garbage people are going on strike and they want the city to pay them more for their labours." "You're kidding, right?" TK asked warily. "Nope. Look over there." Kari pointed to a picket line that had accumulated in front of the Department of Sanitation. "Excuse me for a moment." TK said. He walked over to the line and yelled really loud, "GO TO FUCKING HELL!" One man came over to where Kari was standing and asked her, "Is that your boyfriend?" "Yes." Kari replied. "What's his problem?" He asked. "You see the sling on his arm?" "Yeah, why?" "Well, that arm, and three ribs, _and_ his right leg were all broken about two months ago." Kari said. "And I care… why?" the man asked. "It happened in a car accident." Kari said, putting her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. The man looked toward TK, who was giving all the people in the picket line hell. "Why does that make him yell at us?" The man said, getting angrier by the second. "It was with a speeding…" Kari let it hang. "YES?!?!" The man yelled. Kari saw TK coming back over to her. She noted all the scared faces of the picket line people. TK came over, linked his arm with Kari, and they started to walk away. The man glared at Kari. She looked back over her shoulder and called, "Garbage truck!" 


End file.
